Cloud Server Pricing Guide
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- Cloud Server Pricing Guide: "Standard-D4" Configuration
This document details the technical specifications, performance characteristics, recommended use cases, comparisons, and maintenance considerations for our "Standard-D4" cloud server configuration. This configuration is designed to provide a balance between compute power, memory capacity, and storage performance for a wide range of applications.
1. Hardware Specifications
The Standard-D4 configuration is built around enterprise-grade hardware components optimized for virtualization and consistent performance. The following table outlines the detailed specifications:
| Component | Specification | Details |
|---|---|---|
| CPU | Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6338 (Ice Lake) | 32 Cores / 64 Threads per CPU, Base Clock 2.0 GHz, Turbo Boost up to 3.4 GHz, 48 MB L3 Cache, TDP 205W. Supports AVX-512 instruction set. See CPU Architecture Overview for more details. |
| RAM | 128 GB DDR4-3200 ECC Registered | 8 x 16 GB Modules. Utilizes 16 DIMM slots with support for up to 2TB of RAM total (upgradeable). Error Correction Code (ECC) provides enhanced data integrity. See Memory Technologies for more information. |
| Storage - Primary (OS) | 512 GB NVMe PCIe Gen4 SSD | Samsung PM1733 series. Read speeds up to 7000 MB/s, Write speeds up to 6500 MB/s. Utilizes a U.2 interface. See NVMe SSD Technology for a deep dive into NVMe. |
| Storage - Secondary (Data) | 4 TB SAS 12Gbps 7.2K RPM HDD | Seagate Exos X16 series. Offers a balance of capacity and cost-effectiveness. RAID configurations available (see RAID Levels). |
| Network Interface | Dual 25 Gigabit Ethernet (25GbE) | Mellanox ConnectX-6 Dx. Supports RDMA over Converged Ethernet (RoCEv2) for low-latency networking. Supports SR-IOV for virtual function assignment. See Networking Technologies for details on 25GbE. |
| Motherboard | Supermicro X12DPG-QT6 | Dual Socket Intel C621A chipset. Supports up to 3 PCIe 4.0 x16 slots. See Server Motherboard Architectures for an overview. |
| Power Supply | 1600W Redundant Power Supplies (80+ Platinum) | 2 x 800W power supplies with active load balancing. Provides N+1 redundancy. See Power Supply Units for details on redundancy. |
| RAID Controller | Broadcom MegaRAID SAS 9361-8i | Supports RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10, and various nested RAID levels. Hardware-based RAID acceleration. See RAID Controller Technology for more information. |
| Baseboard Management Controller (BMC) | IPMI 2.0 Compliant | Remote management capabilities including power control, KVM over IP, and environmental monitoring. See IPMI and Server Management for a detailed explanation. |
| Chassis | 2U Rackmount | Standard 2U form factor for server room compatibility. Optimized for airflow. |
2. Performance Characteristics
The Standard-D4 configuration delivers robust performance suitable for demanding workloads. Performance testing was conducted using industry-standard benchmarks and real-world application simulations.
- CPU Performance: Utilizing the SPEC CPU 2017 benchmark suite, the Standard-D4 achieved an average score of 1800 (base 2017) for integer performance and 2200 (base 2017) for floating-point performance. These scores place it within the high-performance range for dual-processor servers. See CPU Benchmarking for details on SPEC CPU 2017.
- Memory Performance: Memory bandwidth was tested using STREAM benchmark, resulting in a sustained bandwidth of approximately 85 GB/s. This is indicative of the high-speed DDR4-3200 memory.
- Storage Performance: The NVMe SSD achieved IOPS (Input/Output Operations Per Second) of up to 600,000 for random read operations and 500,000 for random write operations. Sequential read/write speeds, as noted above, reached 7000 MB/s and 6500 MB/s respectively. The SAS HDD provided a sustained throughput of approximately 250 MB/s. See Storage Performance Metrics for more clarification.
- Network Performance: 25GbE network interfaces consistently achieved line-rate throughput in both directions, with minimal latency. RDMA functionality demonstrated significant improvements in latency-sensitive applications. Latency tests showed an average round-trip time (RTT) of under 100 microseconds within the same availability zone.
- Virtualization Performance: Running 10 virtual machines (VMs) with a mix of web server, database, and application server workloads showed minimal performance degradation. The CPU utilization remained below 70% on average, and memory usage was efficiently managed by the hypervisor. We support multiple hypervisors including VMware vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, and KVM.
The following table summarizes the performance compared to two other configurations, the Standard-D3 and Standard-D5:
| Configuration | CPU | RAM | Storage (Primary) | Network | SPEC CPU 2017 (Avg) | Price (Monthly) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard-D3 | Dual Intel Xeon Silver 4310 | 64 GB DDR4-3200 | 256 GB NVMe PCIe Gen3 | 10 GbE | 1200 | $500 |
| Standard-D4 (This Guide) | Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6338 | 128 GB DDR4-3200 | 512 GB NVMe PCIe Gen4 | 25 GbE | 1950 | $900 |
| Standard-D5 | Dual Intel Xeon Platinum 8380 | 256 GB DDR4-3200 | 1 TB NVMe PCIe Gen4 | 100 GbE | 2800 | $1500 |
3. Recommended Use Cases
The Standard-D4 configuration is ideally suited for the following applications:
- Database Servers: The large memory capacity and fast NVMe storage make it an excellent choice for hosting relational databases (e.g., MySQL, PostgreSQL, Microsoft SQL Server) and NoSQL databases (e.g., MongoDB, Cassandra). See Database Server Best Practices.
- Application Servers: Supports complex applications requiring significant processing power and memory, such as Java application servers (e.g., Tomcat, JBoss) and .NET application servers.
- Web Servers: Handles high traffic websites and applications with ease, providing fast response times and reliable performance. Can effectively serve static and dynamic content. See Web Server Configuration.
- Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI): Provides sufficient resources to host a moderate number of virtual desktops with good user experience.
- Big Data Analytics: Suitable for running data analytics workloads, particularly those that benefit from high memory bandwidth and fast storage. See Big Data Technologies.
- CI/CD Pipelines: The processing power and network speed are well suited for build and test environments, accelerating software development cycles. See Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery.
- Gaming Servers: Supports moderately populated game servers requiring low latency and high processing capabilities.
4. Comparison with Similar Configurations
The Standard-D4 configuration competes with offerings from other cloud providers. Key competitors and their approximate equivalents include:
- AWS EC2 m5.2xlarge: Similar CPU performance, slightly less RAM (96 GB), and comparable storage options.
- Google Compute Engine n2-standard-16: Comparable CPU performance, 64GB RAM.
- Azure Virtual Machines D8s v3: Offers similar CPU and RAM, but generally lower storage performance.
The Standard-D4 differentiates itself with its combination of high-performance components, redundant power supplies, and advanced networking capabilities (25GbE with RDMA). We also provide flexible storage options, including the ability to customize RAID configurations. A detailed comparison is shown below:
| Feature | Standard-D4 | AWS m5.2xlarge | Google n2-standard-16 | Azure D8s v3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CPU | Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6338 | Dual Intel Xeon Platinum 8275 | Dual Intel Xeon Scalable Processor (2nd Gen) | Dual Intel Xeon Gold 6230 |
| Cores | 64 | 32 | 16 | 32 |
| RAM (GB) | 128 | 96 | 64 | 112 |
| Primary Storage | 512 GB NVMe PCIe Gen4 | EBS Optimized (NVMe available) | Persistent Disk (SSD available) | Premium SSD |
| Network (Gbps) | 25 GbE (RDMA) | 10 GbE | 8 Gbps | 10 GbE |
| Monthly Cost (Approx.) | $900 | $768 | $600 | $850 |
5. Maintenance Considerations
Maintaining the Standard-D4 configuration requires careful attention to cooling, power, and monitoring.
- Cooling: The server generates significant heat due to the high-performance CPUs. Proper airflow within the server rack is crucial. Ensure adequate cooling capacity in the data center. We recommend a minimum of 1kW per rack unit. See Data Center Cooling Best Practices.
- Power Requirements: The server requires a dedicated 208V power circuit with a minimum of 20 amps. The redundant power supplies provide N+1 redundancy, but it is essential to have separate power feeds to the server. See Power Distribution Units (PDUs).
- Monitoring: Regular monitoring of CPU temperature, memory utilization, storage I/O, and network traffic is essential for proactive maintenance. Utilize our monitoring tools or integrate with third-party monitoring solutions. See Server Monitoring Tools.
- Firmware Updates: Keep the server firmware (BIOS, RAID controller, network card) up to date to ensure optimal performance and security. We provide regular firmware updates through our management portal.
- Physical Security: Servers should be housed in a secure data center with appropriate physical access controls. See Data Center Security Best Practices.
- Remote Management: Utilize the IPMI interface for remote server management, including power control, KVM over IP, and virtual media access.
- Storage Management: Regularly monitor the health of the storage devices and implement appropriate backup and disaster recovery procedures. See Data Backup and Recovery Strategies.
- Network Configuration: Ensure proper network configuration and security settings to prevent unauthorized access. Review firewall rules and access control lists regularly. See Network Security Fundamentals.
- Hardware Lifecycle: Expect a hardware lifecycle of approximately 3-5 years. Planned hardware refreshes are crucial to maintain performance and reliability. See Hardware Lifecycle Management.
Intel-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Core i7-6700K/7700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 512 GB | CPU Benchmark: 8046 |
| Core i7-8700 Server | 64 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2x1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 13124 |
| Core i9-9900K Server | 128 GB DDR4, NVMe SSD 2 x 1 TB | CPU Benchmark: 49969 |
| Core i9-13900 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i9-13900 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (64GB) | 64 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Server (128GB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x500 GB NVMe SSD | |
| Core i5-13500 Workstation | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2 NVMe SSD, NVIDIA RTX 4000 |
AMD-Based Server Configurations
| Configuration | Specifications | Benchmark |
|---|---|---|
| Ryzen 5 3600 Server | 64 GB RAM, 2x480 GB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 17849 |
| Ryzen 7 7700 Server | 64 GB DDR5 RAM, 2x1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 35224 |
| Ryzen 9 5950X Server | 128 GB RAM, 2x4 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 46045 |
| Ryzen 9 7950X Server | 128 GB DDR5 ECC, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 63561 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/1TB) | 128 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/2TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (128GB/4TB) | 128 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/1TB) | 256 GB RAM, 1 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 7502P Server (256GB/4TB) | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe | CPU Benchmark: 48021 |
| EPYC 9454P Server | 256 GB RAM, 2x2 TB NVMe |
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⚠️ *Note: All benchmark scores are approximate and may vary based on configuration. Server availability subject to stock.* ⚠️